Luke 17:34-36, "taken" and "left"

[alon]

Luke 17:34 "I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed -- one will be taken and the other left behind. 35 There will be two women grinding grain together -- one will be taken and the other left behind." 36 Some manuscripts have verse 36: Two men will be in a field -- one will be taken and the other left behind."

taken- Strong's #3880, paralambano; to receive near

left- Strong's # 863, aphiemi; to send forth

So the Greek meanings are slightly different here than our common English translation. One will be received near, while the other will be sent away. Apparently it is possible that neither are left behind.

It would be possible to translate paralambano as rejected, or left, if not for the rest of this passage:

37 They asked him, "Where, Lord?" He answered, "Wherever there's a dead body, that's where the vultures gather"

This seems to allude to the Revelation Yeshua gave to John later:

Rev 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds that fly about in mid-heaven, "Come, gather together for the great feast God is giving, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of important men, the flesh of horses and their riders and the flesh of all kinds of people, free and slave, small and great!"

Rev 19:21 The rest were killed with the sword that goes out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

In mainstream Christianity I was taught that these were two separate events- the "rapture" and the last battle at Har-Magedon, spoke of earlier in Rev 16:16. However it doesn't appear to be the case.

I'm a bit confused (my normal state); how do you see this?

Dan C

Note: Bible quotes from the CJB

[Yedidyah]

Shalom Dan!
Maybe this teaching will help on the subject.

I found it to challenge the typical Rapture mindset we see so often today.
www.synagoguechm.com/drashot/noach_thearkandtherapture.pdf

Yedidyah

[alon]

Nov 19, 2013 16:51:50 GMT -8 Yedidyah said:

Shalom Dan!
Maybe this teaching will help on the subject.

I found it to challenge the typical Rapture mindset we see so often today.
www.synagoguechm.com/drashot/noach_thearkandtherapture.pdf

Yedidyah

Todah! Very informative.

"... Often we are told that the one taken is being raptured away by God to avoid the tribulation. But, we have to realize that Yeshua’s teaching is within the context of those whom were taken away in the judgment of The Flood.

And, in the case that someone still doesn’t quite agree that the passage in question is teaching that it is the wicked whom will be taken, a parallel passage in the book of Luke makes it even more evident. In Luke 17:34-37 we read, “I say to you, In that night two will be on one bed; the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two will be grinding together; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two will be in the field, the one will be taken and the other will be left. And answering, they said to Him, Where, Lord? And He said to them, Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”. This passage speaks of birds of prey that gather around those whom are taken while the righteous are left.

Revelation 19:15-18 further expounds on this. It states, “And out of His mouth goes forth a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations. And He will shepherd them with an iron rod. And He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and of the wrath of God Almighty. ..."

So he is saying the one left is the righteous one, and the wicked one is taken, as in his life is taken. Interesting take on it. Either way Rabbi Reuel seems to be in agreement this is not about the rapture and later the big battle. The events being spoken of occur simultaneously- one is being preserved while the other is killed. Further they occur over time; all the way through the Tribulation these things will be happening.

Dan C